Cataract Surgery

Your eye has a clear lens through which light passes, allowing you to see. When the lens loses its transparency, the cloudy tissue that develops is known as a cataract.

Cataract Vision

Cataracts cause a progressive, painless loss of vision. The lens clouds naturally as we age, so people over the age of 65 usually see a gradual reduction of vision. No one is exactly sure what causes cataracts. In younger people they can result from an injury, certain medications, or illnesses such as diabetes. Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light may also play a role in the formation of cataracts. Studies have also shown that people who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of developing cataracts than non-smokers.

Although cataracts usually develop without apparent pain, some indications that a cataract may be forming are as follows:

Blurred or hazy vision

Double vision

Poor vision in bright light

Seeing halos around lights

Yellowish tinged vision

Night vision difficulty

If visual impairment interferes with your ability to read, work, or do the things you enjoy then you will want to consider cataract surgery. Surgery is the only proven means of effectively treating cataracts. Cataract surgery is relatively painless and is one of the most frequently performed procedures with a very high success rate.

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Cataracts affect your vision
They don't have to affect your life

You've chosen to free yourself from compromised vision, and are on your way to having your cataracts removed and your vision revitalized at one of the finest surgical centers in the country. Along with today's precision techniques, advanced lens replacements and guidance from the ORA System®, our surgeon can return your vision to the way it was years ago. Learn how by clicking here or the image to the right!

How can a cataract be treated?

In the early stages, stronger lighting or new glasses may lessen vision problems caused by cataracts. At a certain point only surgery will improve vision. Today, cataract surgery is safe and very effective. Our doctors utilize the latest techniques using ultrasound fragmentation (phacoemulsification) to remove cataracts.

Advanced Cataract Surgery

In phaco surgery, a small ultrasonic probe is inserted into the eye. This probe breaks (emulsifies) the cloudy lens into tiny pieces and gently sucks (aspirates) those pieces out of the eye. Phaco requires a small incision of only 2.4 millimeters or less. To make your procedure as painless as possible, anesthesia involves a combination of eyedrops and intravenous (IV) sedation. Patients don't feel any pain, can see reasonably well within hours, and can resume normal activities almost immediately.

With the recent advance of foldable IOLs, lenses can be implanted through the same small incision that is created in the phaco procedure. These IOLs are made of a flexible material, allowing them to be folded for implantation. Once inside the eye, the lens unfolds and returns to its original shape.

OAV now uses AcrySof® Natural IOLs in cataract surgery. These state-of-the-art lenses not only block ultraviolet light like other IOLs but also filter blue light. Research suggests that blue light may contribute to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a progressive, irreversible disease that is one of the leading causes of blindness. Previously, patients lost the ability to filter blue light after cataract surgery, possibly increasing their risk for AMD. AcrySof lenses reduce this risk without affecting color perception or the ability to see in dim light.

Advanced Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery with VICTUS

As we grow older, cataracts become a natural part of the aging process. It happens when the natural lens of our eyes stiffen and become cloudy, creating vision problems. But the good news is that cataract surgery is a simple and common procedure.

While the procedure is normally done completely manually, we are proud to offer our patients a premium option: advanced, laser-assisted surgery with the VICTUSÂ® platform. This state-of-the-art technology is designed to provide maximum surgical precision and patient comfort during the procedure. Come discover VICTUS today or learn more by speaking with a surgery coordinator at 818-990-3623.

Alcon® ReSTOR® Lens

Physicians have been using flexible Acrysof® IOLs for years to replace the eye's cloudy lens during cataract surgery and help patients enjoy clear vision again. The ReSTOR® lens improves upon the ordinary IOL by using apodized diffractive technology to provide a full range of focusing distances from near to far. A series of 12 gradual "step heights" of 0.2-1.3 microns each (thinner than a human hair and smaller than a red blood cell) in the center of the IOL create seamless focusing ability, while the peripheral refractive region helps to enhance distance vision. Apodization also allows the lens to work with the pupil to distribute light evenly in the eye in different lighting conditions and activity levels. Alcon® reports that up to 80% of patients who use the ReSTOR lens don't need glasses after surgery.

Toric IOLs

Toric IOLs are specially designed for patients with astigmatism. Traditionally, surgical correction of astigmatism required making a series of small incisions (called LRIs) around the cornea to make it more spherical instead of football-shaped. Implanting Toric IOLs often improves vision due to astigmatism without the need for these extra incisions, and also allows patients to enjoy a faster, more comfortable recovery.

There are several different types of FDA approved Toric IOLs, including AcrySof® Toric Lenses, which can correct up to 3 diopters of astigmatism.

Limbal Relaxing Incisions

Patients with astigmatism who are undergoing cataract surgery can choose to have limbal-relaxing incisions made to reduce their dependence on glasses for clear vision. Limbal-relaxing incisions are tiny cuts made around the edge of the cornea, called the limbus. These incisions "relax" the cornea's steep curvature and improve the way the eye focuses light. Limbal-relaxing incisions have been shown to heal faster and cause fewer side effects than other astigmatic keratotomy (AK) procedures.